Ella Potter (Draco Malfoy)
by AriaLord
Summary: Ella Potter, younger sister of the famous Harry Potter. Unlike Harry, Ella was put under the care of Professor Snape. Harry knows that he has a younger sister, for years he's asked to see her, but nobody knows where she is except for Dumbledore. Ella has never been out of the house and has never thought about wanting to see her older brother. Draco X Ella
1. Chapter 1

"Ella" Snape called up the stairs

He waited and then called a bit louder "Ella we're going to be late"

"I'm coming" Ella said running down the stairs

"Don't-" Snape didn't get to finish because their was a loud crash

"Run" he finished as he saw her laying on the ground at the bottom of the stairs, she fell, again.

"sorry" She apologized

"are you alright?" Snape asked holding out his hand

"yes" Ella said taking his hand and he helped her up

She dusted off her clothes and smiled. Snape shook his head, she's so clumsy. Snape used a spell and their luggage disappeared. He took her hand and they apparated to Hogwarts. They were late.

"yay we're late" Ella cheered

"Ella" Snape gave her a look

"sorry papa" she giggled and Snape led her into the Great Hall, he put her in line for sorting and left.

~time skip~

I think the feast's already started," said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. "Hey - Harry - come and look - it's the Sorting!"

Harry hurried over and, together, he and Ron peered in at the Great Hall.

A small, brown haired girl had been called forward to place the hat on her head. Harry's eyes wandered past her to where Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, sat watching the Sorting from the staff table. Several seats along, Harry saw Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in robes of aquamarine. And there at the end was Hagrid, huge and hairy.

"Hang on..." Harry muttered to Ron. "There's an empty chair at the staff table... Where's Snape?"

"Maybe he's ill!" said Ron hopefully.

"Maybe he's left ," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defense Against Dark Arts job again!"

"Or he might have been sacked!" said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him-"

"Or maybe," said a very cold voice right behind them, "he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train."

Harry spun around. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble.

"Follow me," said Snape.

~time skip~

"We'll go and get our stuff," said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice.

"What are you talking about, Weasley?" barked Professor McGonagall.

"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Ron.

Harry looked quickly at Dumbledore.

"Not today, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must impress upon both of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."

Snape looked as though Christmas had been canceled. He cleared his throat and said, "Professor Dumbledore, these boys have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree - surely acts of this nature-"

"It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boys' punishments, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly.

"They are in her House and are therefore her responsibility." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices, and their's a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample-"

Snape shot a look of pure venom at Harry and Ron as Dumbledore left. Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle said "You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding."

"Not much," said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve. "Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted-

"The Sorting Ceremony is over," said Professor McGonagall. "Your sister is also in Gryffindor."

"Oh, good," said Ron.

"Severus, Ella is in Slytherin" Professor McGonagall said, Harry and Ron looked at each other questionably

"That's good to know" Snape said walking out the door

"Professor, who's Ella?" Harry asked

"His adopted daughter" McGonagall answered

"He, has a daughter" Ron asked surprised

"you could say that" McGonagall said

Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, two silver goblets, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.

"You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must also return to the feast."

~time skip~

"Well well well, look what we have here. Why, if I had a face like yours, I'd sue my parents" A blonde haired boy said laughing which the two boys behind him joined him in laughing.

Ella looked at him confused, he has a stupid look on his face. He's kinda cute though, wait, is he bullying her?

"But then again your parents are dead so I guess you can't sue them" the boy said rudely

Ella scoffed "You must have been born on a highway, after all, that's where most accidents happen"

The boy smirked "nice comeback, your not that bad, I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy"

"I'm Ella, Ella Potter" she replied

"I know" Draco said smirking

"right, they said my name when I got sorted" Ella said a bit embarrassed

"So why are you in Slytherin while your brother is a filthy Gryffindor?" Draco asked rudely

"You know my brother, he's here at Hogwarts?" Ella asked

"of course, didn't you know?" Draco asked confused

"No, I've never met him, Professor Snape is my dad. He raised me" Ella explained

"Snape, your foster father, I don't believe it" Draco said

"Why not Mr. Malfoy" A voice said from beind Draco

Draco turned around "professor Snape"

"Ella is indeed my foster daughter. She may be Poter's sister by blood, but I raised her and I love her as my own daughter" Snape said sharply

"Yay" Ella cheered stupidly

"She's a bit slow in the head and clumsy, I hope you'll watch over her" Snape said

"Yes sir" Draco said smirking at Ella and Snape walked away

"Well for a Potter, I think you'd make a good Slytherin" Draco admited

Ella smiled "I wouldn't want it any other way"

Draco smiled back "I think this is the start of a new friendship"


	2. Chapter 2

Harry and Ron sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione, who had her copy of Voyages with Vampires propped open against a milk jug. There was a slight stiffness in the way she said "Morning," which told Harry that she was still disapproving of the way they had arrived.

Draco had entered the Dining Hall with a brown haired girl. Draco had sat at the Sytherin's table while the girl went up to the teachers. She hugged Snape and he handed her something, she went down and sat next to Draco.

"who's that?" Harry asked

"Ella, she's Snape's daughter" Hermione answered

"oh so that's her" Ron said looking at the girl who was in Slytherin robes

"She's cute, for a Slytherin" Harry commented

"oh" Ron said smirking

"get that look off your face Ron, I didn't mean it like that. I meant cute because she's small" Harry explained truthfully

Harry had only just started his porridge when, sure enough, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers.

"Errol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, Unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.

"Oh, no -" Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.

"It's not that - it's that ."

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to Harry, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"What's the matter?" said Harry.

"She's - she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.

"You'd better open it Weasly, before something bad happens" Ella said and Draco laughed a bit

"What's a Howler?" Harry asked

But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners. Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

"-STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE-"

Mrs. Weasleys yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.

"-LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED-"

Harry had been wondering when his name was going to crop up. He tried very hard to look as though he couldn't hear the voice that was making his eardrums throb.

"-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED - YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."

A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed, mostly Slytherins.

Hermione closed Voyages with Vampires and looked down at the top of Ron's head.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you-"

"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron.

Harry pushed his porridge away. His insides were burning with guilt. Mr. Weasley was facing an inquiry at work. After all Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had done for him over the summer...

"of course you deserved it Weasley, what kind of child steals their parents car. If you missed the train you should've just told your parents and had them drive you, honestly how stupid are you" Ella said

Ron looked down, he and Harry couldn't say anything back. She was mean, but she was also right. They could've just told Mrs. Weasley they missed it, but instead they just took the car, they were so stupid. Professor McGonagall was moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules. Harry took his and saw that they had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.

~Time Skip~

"Brilliant Ella, I've never seen Weasley speechless before" Draco praised

"please I'm sure you have. Besides I was right, so they couldn't say anything back" Ella said simply

"First period was boring" Draco said

"What class was it?" Ella asked

"you were in it stupid" Draco said

"i fell asleep" Ella laughed

"you idiot" Draco said hitting her head lightly

"sorry sorry" Ella laughed

~Time Skip~

Harry was relieved to hear the lunch bell. His brain felt like a wrung sponge. Everyone filed out of the classroom except him and Ron, who was whacking his wand furiously on the desk.

"Stupid - useless - thing-"

"Write home for another one," Harry suggested as the wand let off a volley of bangs like a firecracker.

"Oh, yeah, and get another Howler back," said Ron, stuffing the now hissing wand into his bag. " It's your own fault your wand got snapped -'"

They went down to lunch, where Ron's mood was not improved by Hermione's showing them the handful of perfect coat buttons she had produced in Transfiguration.

"What've we got this afternoon?" said Harry, hastily changing the subject.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione at once.

"Why , "demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?"

Hermione snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously.

They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages with Vampires again. Harry and Ron stood talking about Quidditch for several minutes before Harry became aware that he was being closely watched. Looking up, he saw the very small, mousy-haired boy.

~Time Skip~

"I'm going outside Draco, i'll see you next period" Ella said standing up

"You didn't even eat" Draco said

"bye bye" Ella said rushing out the door

"That idiot, she's so energetic and carefree" Draco sighed

~Time Skip~

Hermione looked over as soon as she saw a figure sit next to her. She gasped a bit and closed her book. Hermione looked at the boys then said amazed "your Ella Potter"

"the one and only" Ella said stupidly

"your a bit weird" Hermione said

"so i've been told" Ella said swinging her legs back and forth

"your a Slytherin, why are you talking to me?" Hermione asked curiously

"Well I may seem mean, but that's only for my reputation, I don't mind having friends from other houses" Ella admitted

"well how about me, can we be friends?" Hermione asked

"only if you don't mind me mocking you in public" Ella said a bit sad

"deal" Hermione said

"really?" Ella asked

"I understand, with a parent like Snape your expected to act a certain way, I get it. You want to make your dad proud" Hermione said, even though Hermione knew Snape wasn't Ella's real dad

"yay" Ella cheered stupidly

"your funny" Hermione laughed

Colin Creevy wanted signed photos of Harry. Hermione spotted Draco and tapped Ella. She smiled to Hermione then quickly went over to Draco. Draco overheard Colin and he mouthed 'watch this' to Ella.

"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos , Potter?

Loud and scathing, Draco Malfoy's voice echoed around the courtyard. He had stopped right behind Colin, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him and Ella by his side. Ella looked at Draco confused, what was he talking about.

"Everyone line up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!" Ella gasped at the name.

"No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"You're just jealous," piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe's neck.

"Jealous?" said Malfoy, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."

Crabbe and Goyle were sniggering stupidly.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily. Crabbe stopped laughing and started rubbing his knuckles in a menacing way.

"Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your Mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." He put on a shrill, piercing voice. " If you put another toe out of line-"

A knot of Slytherin fifth-years nearby laughed loudly at this.

"Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter," smirked Malfoy. "It'd be worth more than his family's whole house-"

Ron whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Hermione shut Voyages with Vampires with a snap and whispered, "Look out!"

"What's all this, what's all this?" Gilderoy Lockhart was striding toward them, his turquoise robes swirling behind him. "Who's giving out signed photos?"

Harry started to speak but he was cut short as Lockhart flung an arm around his shoulders and thundered jovially, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!"

Pinned to Lockhart's side and burning with humiliation, Harry saw Malfoy slide smirking back into the crowd pulling that girl Ella with him.

"Come on then, Mr. Creevey," said Lockhart, beaming at Colin. "A double portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll both sign it for you."

Colin fumbled for his camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes.

"Off you go, move along there," Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry, who was wishing he knew a good Vanishing Spell, still clasped to his side.

~Time Skip~

"Draco" Ella said, Draco ignored her

"Draco" Ella called again, Draco knew it was a bad idea to say his last name

"Draco Lucious Malfoy" Ella said pulling her hand away

"yes Ella" Draco sighed turning to face her, he couldn't hide it forever

"that was..." Ella trailed off

"your brother" Draco finished for her sadly

"why didn't you tell me that you knew my brother?" Ella asked choking back tears

"I was afraid!" Draco shouted

"Afraid of what!" Ella shouted back

"of loosing my friend" Draco said quietly

"what made you think that you'd loose me?" Ella asked softly

"I thought that once you knew your brother, you would spend more time with him and his stupid friends!" Draco shouted

"Draco" Ella said sadly

"Can't I be selfish! I don't want you to give anyone else attention but me!" Draco shouted

"I want you all to myself" Draco finished softly

"oh Draco, I'm going to want to know my brother, but that doesn't mean that i'm going to stop being your friend. Nobody else jokes around with me like you do, nobody teases me or tells me when I'm stupid like you do. Draco your my best friend and nothing on this earth will change that" Ella said hugging him, Draco hugged her back and whipped a tear from his eye

"this is so uncool of me" Draco said

"It's ok, nobody's watching" Ella said softly

~Time Skip~

Ella and Draco walked into class a bit late but Lockhart didn't seem to notice. When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of Travels with Trolls , and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.

"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"

He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books - well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about - just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in-"

When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes - start - now!"

"What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?" Ella whispered

"What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?" Draco whispered

Draco and Ella looked at each other and whispered together "rubbish"

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class. He was rambling about how people barely remembered anything about him. Of course nobody did, it was stupid. This guy is so full of himself.

"... but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions - good girl! In fact" - he flipped her paper over - "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"

Hermione raised a trembling hand.

"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so - to business-"

He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.

"Now - be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

In spite of himself, Harry leaned around his pile of books for a better look at the cage. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now. Neville was cowering in his front row seat.

"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."

As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.

"Yes," he said dramatically. "Freshly caught Cornish pixies."

"oh no, Pixies, their wings can poke your eye out" Ella said sarcastically, both Gryfindor's and Slytherin's laughed

"they are very dangerous Ms... um" Lockhart looked at his sheet then gave up.

"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you all make of them!" And he opened the cage.

It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino.

They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks. Ella was laughing at their chaos.

"Come on now - round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted.

He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, " Peskipiksi Pesternomi! "

It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too. Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk.

"Professor your pathetic" Ella said

The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were almost at the door, and said, "Well, I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He swept past them

"Your a whimp Professor" Ella comented from out the door

"like you could do any better" Lockhart said

"I can" Ella said walking into the classroom

"Can you believe him?" roared Ron as one of the remaining pixies bit him painfully on the ear.

"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience," said Hermione, immobilizing two pixies at once with a clever Freezing Charm and stuffing them back into their cage.

"Hands on ? "said Harry, who was trying to grab a pixie dancing out of reach with its tongue out. "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing-"

"Rubbish," said Hermione. "You've read his books - look at all those amazing things he's done"

"He says he's done," Ron muttered.

"It's not that hard" Ella rolled her eyes

"Like you could do better Slytherin" Harry said rudely

"Actually, I can" Ella said

"go ahead, show us" Ron said smugly

Ella smirked, she raised her wand and shouted "Immobulus!"

All pixies froze in place, Ron and Harry stared in shock. Ella smirked and blew at the tip of her wand "bye Hermione, bye boys" She said as she walked out the door.

"ok... so maybe she can do better"


	3. Chapter 3

"Ella"

"Ella wake up!"

She opened her eyes and stared at her friend then suddenly shouted "why are you in my room Draco!"

"to wake you up" Draco said simply

"why" she groaned

"Quidditch practice" Draco said

"then why do I have to wake up" she whined

"you'll see, get dressed and meet me in the common room" Draco smirked and left her room

15 minutes later Ella walked into the common room. She glared at her best friend, who just laughed and pulled her out. They met up with the rest of the Slytherin team. Ella was just confused and let Draco pull her with him. They walked onto the Quidditch field, broomsticks in their hands.

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"

Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Harry, Fred, and George followed.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

Marcus Flint had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."

Angelina, Alicia, and Katie had come over, too. There were no girls on the Slytherin team, who stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Gryffindors, leering to a man.

"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker'. "

"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"

Draco came forward with Ella, smirking. Ella yawned, she just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike.

"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."

All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words Nimbus Two Thousand and One gleamed under the Gryffindors'noses in the early morning sun.

"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" - he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives -" sweeps the board with them."

None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits.

"Can I go back to bed?" Ella asked Draco

"not now" Draco sighed

"Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion."

Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's they doing here?"

He was looking at Malfoy and Ella.

"Ella's the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought the team."

Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

"wait.. i'm the new seeker?" Ella asked now realizing what he said

"yeah you are" Flint answered

"why didn't you tell me that when you woke me up!" Ella shouted at Draco

"because you don't have Quidditch robes yet so their was no need to tell you, it was a surprise" Draco answered

"Well at least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. " They got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

Harry knew at once that Malfoy had said something really bad because there was an instant uproar at his words. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him.

"Draco" Ella said squeezing his hand a bit tight

Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!"

Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoys face.

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of Ron's wand.

Ella quickly took out her wand and went in front of Draco, she quickly shouted "Protego." _R_ on's spell was deflected back at him hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass.

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.

The Slytherin team were paralyzed with laughter. Flint was doubled up, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. Malfoy was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody seemed to want to touch him.

Ella ran over "oh my god Weasley I'm sorry"

Hermione put a hand on her shoulder "Don't worry Ella he'll be alright, as much as I wish that spell hit him, you were brave for protecting Malfoy"

"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Harry to Hermione, who nodded bravely, and the pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms. He and Hermione supported Ron out of the stadium and across the grounds toward the edge of the forest.

"Nice deflection spell Ella" Flint complemented as they left the Quidditch field

"thanks, I've been practicing my spells" Ella said as Draco put his arm on her shoulder

"That was hilarious" Draco laughed

"I didn't mean to hit him, I just didn't want it to hit you" Ella said sadly

"It's whatever, those Gryffindor's deserved everything they got so don't worry about it" Flint said patting her head

"Are you ok Draco?" Ella asked

"never better" Draco smiled

Ella smiled too, she couldn't help it. Draco's smile was beautiful and it made her smile too. She would give anything to keep that smile from disappearing. He's her best friend after all.

~Time Skip~

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ella and Draco were careful not to catch a cold.

One night Ella and Draco were sitting in the common room talking and laughing happily. Draco was teasing her for falling off the sofa. She was so clumsy, but they both had a good laugh about it. They were having fun until Ella heard it.

"... rip... tear... kill..."

Ella stopped laughing and stood up. Draco looked worried "Ella are you ok?"

Ella shook her head and looked around, she must've been hearing things again.

"... soo hungry... for so long..."

"Ella your breathing heavy, calm down" Draco said putting his hand on her shoulder

"... kill... time to kill..." The voice was growing fainter.

Ella ran out of the common room and heard the voice: "... I smell blood... I SMELL BLOOD!"

She ran down the corridor until she came upon Harry and his friends. Something was shining on the wall. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN

OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE

There was a large puddle of water on the . Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then Ron said, "Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help -" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," said Ron. "We don't want to be found here."

"Ella" Hermione said worried, seeing Ella breathing heavy

From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends.

The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ella stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight.

Then someone shouted through the quiet.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat. Draco's gin disappeared as he went over to Ella and put his arm around her, he was very worried and called to her "Ella." Ella was breathing really heavy, they needed Prrfessor Snape, now!


	4. Chapter 4

"What's going on here? What's going on?"

Attracted no doubt by Malfoy's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked.

And his popping eyes fell on Harry.

"You!"he screeched. " You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"

"Argus!"

Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers, including Snape. In seconds, Dumbledore had swept past Harry, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster - just upstairs - please feel free-"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.

"Professor Snape" Hermione called

"What" he said annoyed

"Ella" Hermione said nervous "their's something wrong with her"

Snape's eyes snapped to Draco and Ella. Snape hurried over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Ella" he called waving his hand in front of her

"Professor is she ok?" Draco asked worried

"She's having a panic attack" Snape said worried

"Mr. Malfoy take her to the infirmary quickly please, Severus please come with us" Dumbledore said

"I'll be there as soon as I can" Snape said to Draco

Draco nodded and picked up Ella. He carried her to Madam Pomfrey, he layed her on a bed as Madam Pomfrey did everything she could to calm her down, after a while she calmed down and held onto Draco's hand. Madam Pomfrey left them alone.

"Where's my dad?" Ella asked softly

"He'll be here soon" Draco said caressing her hand

"Why isn't he here now, doesn't he care" Ella asked as a tear went down her cheek

"Of course he does Ella" Draco said

"I'm sorry dear" Snape said walking in

"dad" Ella said as Snape stood next to her bed

"You'll be ok princesss" Snape said kissing her forehead

Ella smiled and fell asleep, Madam Pomfrey wanted her to stay the night just in case. Draco and Snape didn't leave her side until curfew. Snape made Draco go back to his dorm and Snape stayed with Ella all night. She'll be fine... She's a Potter after all.


	5. Chapter 5

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk.

"Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers."

Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry.

"It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Ella or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to."

"So no pressure, Harry" said Fred, winking at him.

"Malfoy bought them all brooms and Ella's Snape's daughter.. should be real easy" Harry said sarcastically

~Time Skip~

"Now we may be considered the dirty ones, the foul ones, and just all around gits, but we are also ambitious,cunning, strong leaders, and we're achievement-oriented. We are Slytherin's and the achievement we want today is to beat Gryffindor. Now let's go show those Gryffindor's who they're messing with" Flint made his speech and everyone cheered

"You'll do great Ella" Flint said patting her head

"thanks" Ella said grabbing her broom

As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly boos, because Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their cheers heard too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one..."

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch.

"All right there, Scarhead?" yelled Malfoy from the stands

Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.

"Close one, Harry!" said George, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again.

Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward a Slytherin Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head.

Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible...

Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.

"Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.

It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face, splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero.

The Slytherin's superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air. Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it.

"Someone's - tampered - with - this - Bludger -" Fred grunted, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry.

"We need time out," said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time.

Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

"What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," said George angrily. "Someone's fixed it - it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then..." said Wood, anxiously. Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in his direction. Flint was calming down Ella who was probably worried about not being able to find the Snitch.

"Listen," said Harry "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

"Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off."

Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys.

"Oliver, this is insane," said Alicia Spinner angrily. "You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry..."

"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"

"This is all your fault," George said angrily to Wood. "'Get the Snitch or die trying,'what a stupid thing to tell him-"

Madam Hooch had joined them.

"Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood.

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face.

"All right," he said. "Fred, George, you heard Harry - leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own."

~Time Skip~

"I can't find it" Ella said

"You'll find it don't worry" Flint reassured

"Nothing's good to me but my name, I'm lacking skills" Ella said worried

"Ella, you have trained the hardest out of all of them for this, the only Potter anyone ever talks about is Harry Potter. It's time to show everyone what Ella Potter can do, or will you forever be in your older brother's shadow" Draco encouraged and Ella smiled

Flint smiled and patted her on the back "a Potter in Slytherin so what, that makes you the best Potter"

The rest of her team in agreement. They all put their hands in the middle and cheered then lifted them up together shouting "Let's go Slytherins!"

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Harry and Ella kicked hard into the air and Harry heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling his glasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger.

He could hear laughter from the crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly as Harry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Gryffindor goal posts, where Adrian Pucey was trying to get past Wood.

A whistling in Harry's ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" yelled Malfoy as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred.

WHAM.

He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side.

The Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time zooming at his face Harry swerved out of the way and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.

With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting from the Slytherins. Ella caught the Snitch.

And he fainted.

He came around, rain falling on his face, still lying on the field, with someone leaning over him. He saw a glitter of teeth.

"Oh, no, not you," he moaned.

"Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."

"No!" said Harry. "I'll keep it like this, thanks..."

"Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times-"

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth.

"He should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood

Through the thicket of legs around him, Harry spotted Fred and George Weasley, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.

"Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.

"No - don't -" said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm.

A strange and unpleasant sensation started at Harry's shoulder and spread all the way down to his fingertips. It felt as though his arm was being deflated. He didn't dare look at what was happening. He had shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm, but his worst fears were realized as the people above him gasped. His arm didn't hurt anymore - nor did it feel remotely like an arm.

"Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing - ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? - and Madam Pomfrey will be able to - er - tidy you up a bit."

As Harry got to his feet, he felt strangely lopsided. Taking a deep breath he looked down at his right side. What he saw nearly made him pass out again.

Poking out of the end of his robes was what looked like a thick, flesh-colored rubber glove. He tried to move his fingers. Nothing happened. Lockhart hadn't mended Harry's bones. He had removed them.

The Slytherin's laughed while Draco ran to Ella. He picked her up and spun around with her, she laughed as he put her back down on the ground. The Slytherins cheered for Ella.

"Told ya you would find it" Flint smiled and Ella nodded happily

"Was my dad watching?" Ella asked

"Yeah, I bet he's real proud" Draco said, Ella smiled and walked away from her Slytherin friends to see what was going on with Harry

"Well aren't you two cute" Fred said putting his arm on Ella's shoulder with George on her other side

"Who, me and Draco?" Ella asked

"Yep" George said smirking

"Draco's just a friend" Ella said shrugging her shoulders

George and Fred were the first two to learn she was Harry's sister. Her last name is Potter, ot's not like it's that hard.

"So" George started

"do you like him?" Fred asked

"what, no way, he's just a friend" Ella said looking away

"Why are you looking away" the twins smirked

"because I want to!" Ella shouted

"Someone's nervous" Fred said

"More like embarrassed" George smirked

"Idiots" Ella mumbled watching Harry get hauled off to Madam Pomfrey, the twins high fived

"good catch today Ella" George said

"But we'll win next time" Fred said

"In your dreams boys" Ella said walking back to the Slytherins


	6. Chapter 6

Draco and Ella had walked into the dining hall together as usual. Ella waved to her father as she sat down and he smiled slightly. Ella ate happily as Draco talked to some of his other friends. Ella had thought about Harry, her brother seems very... prideful. He hates to admit that he's wrong.

After they finished eating Ella and Draco headed to Potions. Draco kept flicking puffer-fish eyes at Ron and Harry, who knew that if they retaliated they would get detention faster than you could say "Unfair." Ella sat beside him laughing, hey Harry's her brother but that doesn't mean it's not funny.

Harry's Swelling Solution was far too runny, but he had his mind on more important things. He was waiting for Hermione's signal, and he hardly listened as Snape paused to sneer at his watery potion. When Snape turned and walked off to bully Neville, Hermione caught Harry's eye and nodded.

Harry ducked swiftly down behind his cauldron, pulled one of Fred's Filibuster fireworks out of his pocket, and gave it a quick prod with his wand. The firework began to fizz and sputter. Knowing he had only seconds, Harry straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it into the air; it landed right on target in Goyle's cauldron.

Goyle's potion exploded, showering the whole class. People shrieked as splashes of the Swelling Solution hit them. Malfoy got a faceful and his nose began to swell like a balloon; Goyle blundered around, his hands over his eyes, which had expanded to the size of a dinner plate - Snape was trying to restore calm and find out what had happened.

Through the confusion, Harry saw Hermione slip quietly into Snape's office. Ella laughed at Draco and the rest of the class. She hadn't got hit at all.

"Silence! SILENCE!" Snape roared. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draft - when I find out who did this-"

Harry tried not to laugh as he watched Malfoy hurry forward, his head drooping with the weight of a nose like a small melon. As half the class lumbered up to Snape's desk, some weighted down with arms like clubs, others unable to talk through gigantic puffed-up lips, Harry saw Hermione slide back into the dungeon, the front of her robes bulging.

Ella helped Snape prepare the antidote and tried not to laugh anymore at anyone. When everyone had taken a swig of antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Snape swept over to Goyle's cauldron and scooped out the twisted black remains of the firework. There was a sudden hush.

"If I ever find out who threw this," Snape whispered, "I shall make sure that person is expelled."

Harry arranged his face into what he hoped was a puzzled expression. Ella was looking right at him, and the bell that rang ten minutes later could not have been more welcome.

"Ella knew it was me," Harry told Ron and Hermione as they hurried back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "I could tell, she was looking at me"

~Time Skip~

"It was Potter" Ella said as she sat on her father's desk

"yes I know" Snape confirmed cleaning up "Class"

"free period" Ella hummed and Snape nodded

"your an excellent Qudditch player" Snape smiled

"thank you father" Ella smiled

~Time Skip~

A week later Ella was reading a book in the courtyard when Draco and his friends came over. She looked up from her book as Draco sat next to her looking happy.

"They're starting a Dueling Club" He said excited

"Really?" Ella asked closing her book

"yeah, let's go together, it'll be fun" Draco said happily

"ok" Ella agreed

Draco smiled at her and he and his friends left. Hermione came out into the courtyard and spotted Ella. She went over and sat down next to her. The girls sat there and talked for awhile.

"So Ella how old are you?" Hermione asked

"12" She answered

"so you are my age" Hermione said

"yeah, I just started late, my father didn't want me going to Hogwarts" Ella explained

"why not?" Hermione asked

"He didn't want me meeting Harry" Ella answered

"But he's your brother" Hermione said confused

"Not that he realizes it" Ella rolled her eyes

"He knows he has a sister, just not who" Hermione said sympathetically

"none of the teachers will say my last name, nobody wants Harry to know about me" Ella said sadly

"He will one day, I don't think he's ready to know right now. Don't worry, you'll have your brother back soon, and I'm sure he'll love you" Hermione said reassuringly

"thanks Hermione" Ella said and they hugged

~Time Skip~

Draco and Ella arrived at the Great Hall at eight o'clock. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school eemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.

Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black.

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!

"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions - for full details, see my published works.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry - you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

"Kick his ass dad!" Ella shouted and the Slytherins cheered, Snape smiled a tiny bit but hid it well.

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth.

"One - two - three-"

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Malfoy, Ella, and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes. "Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.

Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.

"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm - as you see, I've lost my wand - ah, thank you, Miss Brown - yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy - however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..."

Snape was looking murderous. Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me-"

They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first.

"Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter-"

Harry moved automatically toward Hermione.

"I don't think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger - you can partner Miss Bulstrode."

"But dad I was going to partner with Draco" Ella whined

"it's all for some good fun darling" Snape said to his daughter and she pouted

"Easy Ella, we can duel later" Draco smirked

"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!"

Harry and Malfoy barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other.

"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents - only to disarm them - we don't want any accidents - one ... two ... three-"

Harry swung his wand high, but Malfoy had already started on "two": His spell hit Harry so hard he felt as though he'd been hit over the head with a saucepan. He stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working, and wasting no more time, Harry pointed his wand straight at Malfoy and shouted, " Rictusempra! "

A jet of silver light hit Malfoy in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.

"Draco!" Ella shouted worried

"I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Malfoy sank to his knees; Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move for laughing. Harry hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Malfoy while he was on the floor, but this was a mistake; gasping for breath, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry's knees, choked, " Tarantallegra!" and the next second Harry's legs began to jerk around out of his control in a kind of quickstep.

"Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, but Snape took charge. "Finite Incantatem!" he shouted; Harry's feet stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing, and they were able to look up.

A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done; but Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. Harry leapt forward and pulled Millicent off. It was difficult: She was a lot bigger than he was.

Ella pointed her wand at Millicent "Petrificus Totalus"

Millicent dropped to the floor unable to move anything but her eyes. Draco smirked and patted Ella's back. Ella looked at Hermione and Hermione smiled to her as thanks.

"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair - Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you-"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker. "How about Ella and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile.

"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Harry and Ella into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room.

Draco smirked as Ella looked nervous. Harry noticed her trying to steady her breathing. Hermione looked worried and Ron looked like he wanted Harry to beat her.

"Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Ella points his wand at you, you do this."

He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops - my wand is a little overexcited-"

Snape moved closer to Ella, bent down, and whispered something in her ear. Ella smiled at her dad. Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

"Scared?" muttered Malfoy from the side

"You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.

Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"

"What, drop my wand?"

But Lockhart wasn't listening.

"Three - two - one - go!" he shouted.

Ella quickly raised her want "Ventus" tough gusts of wind were sent at Harry pushing him back.

Harry raised his wand "Petrificus Totalus"

Ella moved before the spell hit her and said " Serpensortia!"

The end of er wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it..."

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.

Draco grabbed Ella's hand and they ran out of the Great Hall quickly. They did not want to stick around there. Ella laughed as they entered the common room.

"Having fun?" Draco smirked, Ella smiled and nodded

"I believe you owe me a duel Mr. Malfoy" Ella smirked

"As promised Miss Potter" Draco Smirked taking out his wand, Ella doing the same

~Time Skip~

"How did you win!" Draco shouted out of breath and Ella held out her hand to him laughing.

He took her hand and stood up. Ella knew more spells then he did. She was fast too, she was definitely the better Potter sibling.

"God your amazing" Draco said breathlessly

"I know" Ella smirked

"And i thought you were the younger sibling" Draco said

"I am" Ella laughed

"God" Draco breathed


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you going home for winter break Ella?" Draco asked

"no, why?" She asked

"just wondering, I'm staying too" Draco smiled

"yay" Ella cheered stupidly and Draco laughed

~time skip~

Soon enough Winter break came along and Ella hung out with her dad and Draco a lot. Draco took her out to the lake and taught her how to ice skate. It was so much fun. On their way inside they spotted Crabbe, Goyle, and Percy. Ronald Weasley's prefect brother.

"There you are" Draco drawled, looking at them. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I've been looking for you; I want to show you something really funny."

"You'll love it" Ella added

Draco glanced witheringly at Percy "And what're you doing down here, Weasley?" he sneered.

Percy looked outraged "You want to show a bit more respect to a school prefect!" he said. "I don't like your attitude!"

Draco sneered and motioned for Crabbe and Goyle to follow him and Ella. As they turned into the next passage Draco said "That Peter Weasley -"

"Percy," Ron corrected him automatically.

"Whatever," said Draco

"I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. He probably thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed." Ella said

Draco gave a short, derisive laugh. He paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.

"What's the new password again?" he said

"pure-blood!" Ella said and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.

"Wait here," Draco to Crabbe and Goyle motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. "I'll go and get it my father's just sent it to me -"

Ella sat down across from them. Draco came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper clipping. He thrust it under Ron's nose.

"That'll give you a laugh," he said.

"Well?" said Malfoy impatiently as they handed the clipping back to him. "Don't you think it's funny?"

"Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them," said Draco scornfully. "You'd never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave."

Crabbe's face was contorted with fury.

"What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy.

"Stomachache," he grunted.

"Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me," said Malfoy, snickering. "You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," he went on thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey in."

Malfoy started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin: "Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?"

Ella laughed, Draco dropped his hands and looked at Crabbe and Goyle "What's the matter with you two?"

"Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend," said Malfoy slowly. "He's another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped up Granger Mudblood. And people think he's Slytherin's heir!"

Harry and Ron waited with bated breath: Malfoy was surely seconds away from telling them it was him - but then

"I wish I knew who it is," said Malfoy petulantly. "I could help them."

Goyle asked "You must have some idea who's behind it all?"

"You know I haven't, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?" snapped Malfoy. "And Father won't tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing - last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time ... I hope it's Granger," he said with relish.

Goyle asked "D'you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?"

"Oh, yeah ... whoever it was was expelled," said Malfoy. "They're probably still in Azkaban."

Crabbe and Goyle looked confused

"Azkaban the wizard prison" Ella explained

He shifted restlessly in his chair and said, "Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. You know the Ministry of Magic raided our manor last week? Luckily, they didn't find much. Father's got some very valuable Dark Arts stuff. But luckily, we've got our own secret chamber under the drawing-room floor -"

"so cool" Ella said "hey did you guys know I beat Draco in a duel"

"Don't tell them that, It's embarrassing to get beaten by a Potter" Malfoy rolled his eyes

"By a Potter?" Crabbe asked

"yes, we told you remember" Draco said, Crabbe and Goyle shook their heads

"you guys don't remember me telling you that I was Harry's sister?" Ella asked and they shook their head.

"you guys are so stupid" Malfoy laughed "Snape is just her foster father"

"Sorry I'm not as famous as my brother" Ella rolled her eyes

Crabbe and Goyle both jumped to their feet.

"Medicine for my stomach" Crabbe grunted, and without further ado they sprinted the length of the Slytherin common room, hurled themselves at the stone wall, and dashed up the passage.

Draco and Ella shrugged and just talked about random things

~time skip~

"Ella's your sister!" Ron whisper shouted

"I know" Harry said shocked

"why didn't you tell me you had a sister?" Ron asked

"I didn't know where she was" Harry said

"Harry, your sister's a Slytherin!" Ron whisper shouted

Harry looked sad "...I know"


	8. Chapter 8

Harry checked his face in the cracked mirror. He was back to normal. He put his glasses on as Ron hammered on the door of Hermione's stall.

"Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you-"

"Go away!" Hermione squeaked.

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"What's the matter?" said Ron. "You must be back to normal by now, we are."

But Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the stall door. Harry had never seen her looking so happy.

"Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's awful-"

They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.

"What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"

Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink.

Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair.

"It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"

"Uh-oh," said Ron.

"You'll be teased something dreadful," said Myrtle happily.

"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions..."

It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom.

"so what did you guys find out" She asked

"Ella is Harry's sister" Ron said

"oh finally, I already knew that" Hermione said

"you did!" Harry whispered shouted

"yes, most of the school did. They said Potter as her last name at the sorting, but everyone knows that Snape is her foster father" Hermione explained

"But she's **my** sister" Harry said

"she's also a Slytherin" Ron said

"so, still my sister" Harry argued

"Harry your starting to sound like an overprotective big brother" Hermione teased

"Good, she's younger then me" Harry said

"why are you getting so worked up over this" Ron questioned

"I've been separated from my sister for my entire life and I was never allowed to see her or know who she was. How else should I feel" Harry said a bit angry

~time skip~

"Draaacoooo" Ella said "Draco...Draco...Draco...Draco...Draco...Draco...Draco...Draco"

"whaaaaaat" Draco laughed

"I'm bored" She laughed

"me too" he agreed "come on we have class"

"boo" she whined

"let's go" Draco said dragging her out

As they walked to class they heard something "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,

His hair is as dark as a blackboard,

I wish he was mine,

he's really divine,

The hero who conquered the Dark Lord"

Ella laughed and so did Draco, he looked at her "sounds like Potter getting attention again"

"as always" Ella agreed

Draco picked up a diary that was on the ground, Harry must've dropped it. Ella looked at it with Draco.

"Give that back," said Harry quietly.

"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" Draco questioned looking at Ella who shrugged

A hush fell over the onlookers. Ginny was staring from the diary to Harry, looking terrified.

"Hand it over, Malfoy," said Percy sternly.

"When I've had a look," he said, waving the diary tauntingly at Harry.

Percy said, "As a school prefect -" but Harry had lost his temper. He pulled out his wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

Just as Snape had disarmed Lockhart, Malfoy found the diary shooting out of his hand into the air. Ella quickly caught it.

"Harry!" said Percy loudly. "No magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know!"

But Harry didn't care, he was one-up on Malfoy, and that was worth five points from Gryffindor any day.

"Potter, the book" Percy said looking at Ella

She sighed and handed the diary over to Ron.

Malfoy was looking furious, and as Ginny passed him to enter her classroom, he yelled spitefully after her, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!"

"you should've just stuck with a card" Ella added

Ginny covered her face with her hands and ran into class. Snarling, Ron pulled out his wand, but Ella pushed him away.

~Time Skip~

"that was fun" Draco laughed

"the best" Ella added

"Ella" Draco said getting her attention

"yeah" She answered sitting down by the common room fire

"happy valentine's day" Draco said kissing her cheek "good night" he ran up the stairs and into his room

Ella squealed happily and ran up to her room. Draco Malfoy just kissed her, on the cheek, but hey it counts. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and her face blushed.


	9. Chapter 9

The second years were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year.

"What are you choosing, your a second year aren't you?" Draco asked Ella

"yeah, Dad insisted that I was considered a second year this year because I was taught the basic stuff of a first year already" Ella confirmed

"so what are you going to choose" he asked

"I'm not sure, I really like care of magical creatures though" Ella answered

"I'm not a huge fan of that class" Draco rolled his eyes

"Is it because of what happened in your first year" Ella said in a teasing way

"who told you about that" Draco asked a bit angry

"Dad did" Ella laughed a bit

"dang it" Draco said hitting his forehead

Ella laughed and wrapped her arms around Draco's waist with her head on his chest "I'm cold"

"Me too" Draco agreed wrapping his arms around her with a slight blush on his face

~Time skip~

Draco and Ella headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Ella saw Harry look at her when she entered. Harry must know now, Draco pulled her over to the Slytherin table. During breakfast she found herself looking over at Harry constantly.

"Ella" Draco waved his hand in front of her face

"Oh yeah, sorry Draco. What did you say?" Ella asked blinking

"I said that their's a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, do you want to go watch?" He asked

"oh yeah, that sounds good" Ella smiled

Everyone started making their way out of the Great Hall. Draco noticed Ella stop.

"Ella?" He questioned

"I hear it" Ella said looking around

"Hear what?" Draco asked

Ella looked around and shook her head "nothing, let's go"

Ella and Draco sat in the stands to watch the match. Ella watched as her brother and his team walked onto the field. The game just started when Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone.

"This match has been cancelled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts.

"no way, why" Ella questioned looking at Draco

"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" McGonagall continued, then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry over to her.

"Let's go Ella" Draco said

Ron went running up to Harry and McGonagall as they set off toward the castle. McGonagall turned around and looked up at the stands.

"Potter" She shouted, Ella left Draco questionably and went over

"yes professor?" She asked

"Come with us" She said turning around to the castle

They followed Professor McGonagall back into the school and up the marble staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office.

"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack... another double attack."

Professor McGonagall pushed the door open. Madam Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly hair. Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw they'd accidentally asked for directions to the Slytherin common room. And on the bed next to her was-

"Hermione!" Ron groaned.

Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy. Ella covered her mouth as her eyes teared up.

"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them..."

She was holding up a small, circular mirror. Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione. Ella was holding back tears and McGonagall rubbed her back.

"she will be alright" McGonagall reassured and Ella nodded

"thank you professor" Ella said wiping away her tears

"I will escort Mr. Weasley to Gryffindor Tower I need to address the students anyway, you two go see Dumbledore" McGonagall said looking at Harry and Ella

The two awkwardly walked to Dumbledore's office in silence. They said the password and headed in to see Dumbledore. He smiled to them as they entered.

"Hello" he greeted

"hello headmaster" Ella greeted politely

"Harry and Ella Potter, both siblings together again" Dumbledore said

Harry and Ella slowly turned and looked at each other. Harry wiped away Ella's tears and hugged her. He finally has his sister back.

"I've missed you Ella" Harry said

"Me too" Ella admitted wrapping her arms around Harry's waist and started crying

"I'm sorry we separated you, we should have never done that" Dumbledore apologized sadly

"I can't believe I'm younger" Ella whined

Harry chuckled and pulled back to wipe her tears away "Big brothers don't want to see their little sister cry"

She nodded and smiled, the smile soon turned into a frown "But i'm a Slytherin"

"That doesn't change anything, your my sister and I love you" Harry argued

"you can't love someone you've never met" Ella said sadly

"Your my little sister Ella, the bond of siblings is strong, our love is different and it can't be broken easily" Harry said smiling, Ella smiled too and hugged him

They thanked Dumbledore and left, the siblings hugged before going into their separate houses. Ella sat by the fire with Draco exchanging stories of their childhood.

"you really did that?" Ella asked laughing

"It wasn't any worse then you" Draco argued laughing

"In my defense I was 5" Ella said

"so was I" Draco said and they both laughed

They eventually both said goodnight to each other and headed to bed. Wondering what's going to happen about all the attacks, will Hogwarts even be safe anymore?


	10. Chapter 10

"Draco did you hear?" Ella asked as she sat next to him in the Great Hall

"what?" Draco asked putting a piece of toast in his mouth

"Dumbledore's gone" Ella said taking the toast out of his mouth and taking a bite

Draco shrugged and took the toast back from her "I honestly couldn't care less"

"mhm" Ella rolled her eyes taking a piece of bread out of the basket

Two weeks later they were in Posions class with Draco rambling to Ella, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said, not troubling to keep his voice down. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in..."

"Sir," Draco loudly to Snape "Sir, why don't you apply for the headmaster's job?"

"yeah dad I'm sure you'd be great" Ella agreed happily

"Now, now, you two" said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough."

"Yeah, right," said Malfoy, smirking. "I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job - I'll tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir"

Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron.

"I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Malfoy went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger-"

"Draco" Ella hissed hitting his side

The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Malfoy's last words, Ron had leapt off his stool, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, his attempts to reach Malfoy went unnoticed.

"Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Ella hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands-"

"No way" Ella said "He's not worth it"

"What happened to Malfoy being your friend or some bullshit like that?" Ron snapped angrily

"Shut it Weasley" Ella snapped back

"Ella" Harry said

"Sorry" She apologized to Ron

"Yeah I'm sorry too, It's hard to imagine being friends with a Slytherin, it takes some time getting used to" Ron said sheepishly

"Same here Gryffindor" Ella laughed and Ron smiled

"God you two, I thought i would've had to block you guys" Harry sighed

Ella said goodbye to her brother and rejoined Draco happily as Snape led them all to Herbology. Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Ella was with Draco for groups, even though Harry wanted to be with her.

"This is so annoying" Draco complained

"I know, I hate Herbology" Ella agreed

"It might come in handy though" Draco sighed

"But it's so revolting, I hate being outside" Ella whined

"too hard for you princess" Draco teased

"shut up" Ella said poking his side and Draco laughed

"I bet you've never worked a day in your life" Draco continued as Ella blushed in embarrassment "but" he continued and she looked up at him "with me around you won't ever have to"

Ella blushed "what are you implying"

"oh nothing" Malfoy said going back to work

"mhm" Ella hummed in disbelief

They were then escorted to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Lockhart bounded into the room and the class stared at him. Every other teacher in the place was looking grimmer than usual, but Lockhart appeared nothing short of buoyant.

"Come now," he cried, beaming around him. "Why all these long faces?"

People swapped exasperated looks, but nobody answered.

"Don't you people realize," said Lockhart, speaking slowly, as though they were all a bit dim, "the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away-"

"Says who?" said Dean Thomas loudly.

"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty," said Lockhart, in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two.

"Hagrid is a great man, that arrest was totally unnecessary. Besides what would you know, your just a coward that writes fairy tales for fun" Ella snapped

"I flatter myself I know a touch more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Ms. Potter" said Lockhart in a self-satisfied tone.

Class went on like normal and totally crappy in Ella's opinion. Ella and Draco silently made fun on Lockhart the entire class. Totally worth the whole hour. After classes they ate at the Great Hall before going to their chambers.

"I wonder what Harry's doing" Ella mumbled to herself before falling asleep.


	11. Chapter 11: Christmas Special

"It's snowing" Ella cheered happily as she pulled Draco outside

"Draco Draco Draco Draco look" Ella said happily

"ok ok I see it Ella" Draco laughed at his best friend's childish behavior

"I love Christmas" Ella smiled

"you do?" Draco asked

"yep, I love it" Ella said

"I love the cold" Draco admitted

"Draco" Ella called from behind him

"what?" he asked turning around just to be met with a snowball to the face. Ella rolled around on the ground laughing

"oh yeah" Draco smirked starting to pile now on top of her

Ella giggled "nuuuu Draco's gonna burry me alive"

Draco laughed and she tackled him

"ha" Ella said triumphantly

"ok ok you win" Draco said pulling her down to lay her head on top of his chest

"D-Draco" Ella blushed embarrassed

"what's wrong love" Draco said teasingly

"your so mean" Ella whined

"Come on you know you love me" Draco said

"i do" Ella admitted

"w-what" Draco stuttered as he sat up, Ella now sitting on his lap

"I do... I do love you Draco" Ella admitted

"Ella don't play around like that" Draco said in disbelieve

"I'm not" Ella said turning her head away from him in embarrassment

"we're still young Ella... but I love you too" Draco admitted

"w-when we're older... d-date me Draco, I want you to be my boyfriend" Ella said looking at him

Draco stared at her in disbelieve, still believing this to be a joke.

"I know I'm just a filthy Potter girl, but I really want to be your girlfriend when we're older" Ella rambled

"15" Draco said

"what?" Ella asked

"I will date you, when we turn 15, and that's a promise I make to you today" Draco said blushing

Ella smiled like an idiot "you better not forget"

"I won't, Merry Christmas Ella" Draco said kissing her cheek

Ella smiled "Merry Christmas Draco"


	12. Chapter 12

"I can't believe we're still getting tests" Ella whined to Draco as they made their way out of their first class

"Well the school only stayed open during this mess so we could still get our education" Draco explained smirking

"blah blah blah" Ella rolled her eyes

"Ella, behave" Snape said

"yes father" Ella said innocently and Draco rolled his eyes, smiling

Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.

"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly.

When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

There was an explosion of cheering. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than he'd looked in days. Harry looked over to see Ella laying her head on Malfoy's shoulder, at which he became angry at.

"how boring" Draco commented

"I want some more action" Ella complained at which Draco smiled to

They looked at each other and laughed. They think so much alike, that's what makes them good friends. Later in the day they were walking when they suddenly heardProfessor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified.

"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."

"Another attack?" Ella asked

"let's go" Draco said taking her hand and hurry to their dorm

Later that night Ella heard tapping on the window of her room. She opened the window and Harry's Owl flew into the room with a letter. She took the letter and opened.

Meet me outside the Slytherin Dormatorys, we need your help

-Harry

Ella closed her window after Hedwig left. She quickly put on her green Slytherin skirt, white shirt, and Green tie. She slipped her black flats on and wet out of the room, Nobody was in the common room. She went outside and saw Ron and Harry.

"what's up guys?" Ella asked

"Ginny'a been taken into the chamber" Ron said

"we need your help, we're going to Lockhart" Harry explained

"of course I'll help, I've been looking for some action" Ella agreed excitedly

"your so weird" Harry smiled a bit

"thanks Ella" Ron said

"no problem Ronny" Ella smiled

Darkness was falling as they walked down to Lockhart's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. They could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps.

Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it.

"Oh Potters, Mr. Weasley -" he said, opening the door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment -if you would be quick--"

"Professor, we've got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you."

"Er - well - it's not terribly -" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. "I mean - well - all right--"

He opened the door and they entered.

His office had been almost completely stripped. Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade-green, lilac, midnight blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.

"Going somewhere?" Ella asked suspiciously

"Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call - unavoidable - got to go--"

"What about my sister?" said Ron jerkily.

"Well, as to that - most unfortunate -" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I--"

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Harry. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"

"Well - I must say - when I took the job -" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description - didn't expect--"

"You mean you're running away?" said Harry disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books--"

"Books can be misleading," said Lockhart delicately.

"You wrote them!" Harry shouted.

"My dear boy," said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. "Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip. I mean, come on--"

"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously.

"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog."

He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them.

"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."

He pulled out his wand and turned to them.

"Awfully sorry,children, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book--"

"You coward!" Ella shouted taking out her wand and shouted " Expelliarmus!"

Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window.

"Shouldn't have let my dad teach us that one," Ella said as Harry furiously kicked Lockhart's trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at them, feeble once more. Ella was still pointing her wand at him.

"nice sis" Harry said smiling at her

"thanks" Ella said glaring at Lockhart

"What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."

"You're in luck," said Harry, as Ella and him forced Lockhart to his feet at wandpoint. "We think we know where it is. And what's inside it. Let's go."

They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

They sent Lockhart in first. Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking. Ella had the tip her her wand lit, probably a spell ready to be cast if he decided to run. Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet.

"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Harry. "What do you want this time?"

"To ask you how you died," said Harry.

Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question.

"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then -" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I died ."

"How?" said Harry.

"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away..." She looked dreamily at Harry. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."

"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry.

"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.

Harry and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face as Ella watched the boys.

It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.

"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.

"Harry," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."

"But -" Harry thought hard. The only times he'd ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he'd been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real.

"Open up," he said.

He looked at Ron, who shook his head.

"English," he said.

"let me try" Ella said trading places with Harry

"Open up," She hissed and looked back at the boys to make sure she said it right

"Parseltongue" Ron said confirming it

The tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

"I'm going down there," Harry said.

He couldn't not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Chamber, not if there was even the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Ginny might be alive.

"Me too," said Ron.

"looks fun" Ella said happily, Harry shook his head at his sister's weirdness

There was a pause.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just--"

He put his hand on the door knob, but Ron, Harry, and Ella pointed their wands at him.

"You can go first," Ron snarled.

White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the opening.

"Children" he said, his voice feeble. "what good will it do?"

Ella jabbed him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe. Ella laughed at him.

"your enjoying this aren't you?" Ron asked her and she nodded

"I really don't think -" Lockhart started to say, but Ron gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go.

It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons.

And then, just as he had begun to worry about what would happen when he hit the ground, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in. Lockhart was getting to his feet a little ways away, covered in slime and white as a ghost.

Harry stood aside as Ron came whizzing out of the pipe, too. Ella soon followed, she landed on her feet laughing. The boys shook their head at her, she was so weird.

"how'd you land on your feet?" Ron questioned

"I'm skilled" Ella answered happily

"We must be miles under the school," said Harry, his voice echoing in the black tunnel.

"Under the lake, probably," said Ron, squinting around at the dark, slimy walls.

"that i'm used to" Ella said

All three of them turned to stare into the darkness ahead.

"Lumos!" Ella said and her wand lit up.

"C'mon," Harry said to them and off they went, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor.

The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked monstrous in the wandlight.

"Remember," Harry said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away..."

"Right, if i see Ginny moving i'll close my eyes and pretend not to see her" Ella said sarcastically

"Ella" Harry said

"i know" Ella smiled

The tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud crunch as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat's skull. Harry lowered his wand to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones. Trying very hard not to imagine what Ginny might look like if they found her, Harry led the way forward, around a dark bend in the tunnel.

"Harry - there's something up there -" said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry's shoulder.

They froze, watching. Harry could just see the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn't moving.

"Maybe it's asleep," he breathed, glancing back at the other two. Lockhart's hands were pressed over his eyes. Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast it hurt.

Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edged forward, his wand held high.

The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least.

"oh my fucking god" Ella said breathlessly "that thing's huge"

There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way.

"Get up," said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart.

Lockhart got to his feet - then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground.

Harry jumped forward, but too late - Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron's wand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face. Ella quickly hid behind some rocks.

"The adventure ends here!" he said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you three tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body - say good-bye to your memories!"

He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled , "Obliviate! "

Ella quickly raised her wand "confringo!" Ron's wand exploded with the force of a small bomb.

Harry flung his arms over his head and ran, slipping over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor. Next moment, he was standing, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock.

"Ron!" he shouted. "Are you okay? Ron!"

"I'm here!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the rockfall. "I'm okay - this git's not, though-"

There was a dull thud and a loud "ow!" It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins.

"Ella... where's Ella?" Harry asked worried

Ella came out from behind the rocks, on Harry's side. Harry sighed in relief and hugged her.

"what was that spell?" Harry asked

"Blasting curse" Ella answered

"What now?" Ron's voice said, sounding desperate. "I can't get through - it'll take ages..."

Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it. He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic, and now didn't seem a good moment to try - what if the whole tunnel caved in?

"Can't Ella use that blasting spell again?" Ron asked

"No it's too dangerous, the blast can crush you" Ella answered

There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks. They were wasting time. Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours... Harry knew there was only one thing to do.

"Wait there," he called to Ron. "Wait with Lockhart. We'll go on... If we're not back in an hour..."

There was a very pregnant pause, "I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. "So you guys can - can get back through. And, guys-"

"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his shaking voice.

"don't worry I'll keep him out of trouble" Ella laughed trying to lighten the mood

And with that they set off past the giant snake skin. Soon the distant noise of Ron straining to shift the rocks was gone. The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry's body was tingling unpleasantly.

He wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what he'd find when it did. And then, at last, as he and Ella crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.

They approached, Harry's throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive. Ella saw the worry in her brother's eyes and held his hand.

"Don't worry Harry, your not alone. I'm here with you all the way" Ella smiled

"thanks Ella, your the best little sister ever" Harry said holding her hand tightly

"Open" Ella said in a low, faint hiss.

The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside with Ella right next to him.


	13. Chapter 13

They stood at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place

"well isn't this fun" Ella said and Harry shushed her

"what?" she asked

"be quiet, I'm trying to listen" Harry said

"for what, the giant snake?" She asked

"or Ginny" Harry said

He pulled out his wand and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, he thought he saw one stir.

Ella followed close behind him looking around a bit too carefree. Then, as they drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall.

It was ancient and monkey like, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black robed figure with flaming red hair.

"Harry" Ella said tapping him

"Ginny" He said, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. "Ginny—don't be dead—please don't be dead—"

He flung his wand aside, grabbed Ginny's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. But then she must be—

"Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side.

"dead" Ella hummed and Harry looked at her, she just shrugged

"She won't wake," said a soft voice.

Harry jumped and spun around on his knees, Ella turned her head to look.

A tall, black haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him—

"Tom—Tom Riddle?"

Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face.

"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not—she's not—?"

"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just."

"damn it" Ella muttered and Harry gave her a look

Harry then looked back at Tom and stared at him. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen.

"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly.

"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there—but there were more pressing matters to deal with.

"You've got to help us Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk... I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment... Please, help me."

Ella stared at Harry and Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again.

But his wand had gone.

"Did you see—?"

He looked up. Riddle was still watching him—twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers.

"Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it.

A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly.

"Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny's dead weight. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes—"

"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly.

Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer.

"What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it—"

Riddle's smile broadened.

"You won't be needing it," he said.

Harry stared at him.

"What'd you mean, I won't be—?"

"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."

"Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later—"

"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand.

Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here.

"How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly.

"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."

Harry glanced at Ella who just stood there watching everything that was happening.

"What are you talking about?" said Harry.

Riddle explained that Ginny was the one who was attacking everyone.

"So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her... She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last... I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter."

"Like what?" Harry spat, fists still clenched.

"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent—managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.

"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."

"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."

He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry—I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

Harry's brain seemed to have jammed. He stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others... At last he forced himself to speak.

"You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred.

"Not what?" snapped Riddle.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days—" The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed.

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true.

Riddle opened his mouth, but froze.

Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle.

A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.

The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle.

"That's a phoenix," said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.

"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently

"And that—" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat—"

So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet.

Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once.

"This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"

Harry didn't answer. He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting.

"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice—in your past, in my future—we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

"what about Ella, she survived too didn't she, you're not saying anything about her" Harry said

Riddle laughed "I don't need to"

"what do you mean?" Harry asked and Riddle just laughed

"What are you talking about!" Harry shouted angry

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him..."

He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Harry, fear spreading up his numb legs, watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed—but Harry understood what he was saying...

"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder.

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole.

And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and as he shut his eyes tight he felt Fawkes' wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents?

Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder—he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice:

"Kill him."

The basilisk was moving toward Harry; he could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way—Voldemort was laughing...

"HARRY RUN" He heard Ella yell

"Ella" he said looking at her, Riddle stood behind her holding her back

"Let go of me!" she shouted at him

Harry tripped. He fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming.

There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars.

He couldn't help it—he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on.

The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As Harry trembled, ready to close his eyes if it turned, he saw what had distracted the snake.

Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers.

Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry, and before Harry could shut his eyes, it turned—Harry looked straight into its face and saw that its eyes, both its great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony.

"NO!" Harry heard Riddle screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM. KILL HIM!"

The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes.

"Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly, "someone—anyone!"

"Harry get out of there!" Ella shouted

"You're getting annoying" Riddle said covering her eyes

"Leave her alone!" Harry shouted

The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry ducked. Something soft hit his face.

The basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Harry seized it. It was all he had left, his only chance—he rammed it onto his head and threw himself flat onto the floor as the basilisk's tail swung over him again.

Help me—help me— Harry thought, his eyes screwed tight under the hat. Please help me!

There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly.

Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it.

A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.

"KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF—SMELL HIM."

Harry was on his feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face him. He could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous...

It lunged blindly. Harry dodged and it hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Harry's side. He raised the sword in both his hands.

The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true—Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth—

But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt a searing pain just above his elbow. One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into his arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor.

Harry slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But he knew it was too late. White hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as he dropped the fang and watched his own blood soaking his robes, his vision went foggy. The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color.

A patch of scarlet swam past, and Harry heard a soft clatter of claws beside him.

"Fawkes," said Harry thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes..."

He felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced him.

He could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of him.

"You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."

Harry blinked. Fawkes's head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Harry felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning.

"So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear mother soon, Harry... She bought you twelve years of borrowed time... but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must..."

If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad.

Even the pain was leaving him...

But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound—except that there was no wound.

"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him—I said, get away!"

Harry raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet.

"Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course... healing powers... I forgot..."

He looked into Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter... you and me..."

He raised the wand.

Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap—the diary.

For a split second, both Harry and Riddle, wand still raised, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him.

"Ella stop him now!" Riddle shouted and in an instant Harry felt the basilisk's fang being hit out of his hand

He turned his head and saw Ella's once green eyes were now purple.

"Ella" Harry said worried

She didn't say anything

"She can't hear you Harry, she's not the one in control" Riddle laughed

Harry glared at him "what did you do to my sister"


	14. Chapter 14

"crucio" Ella said as she shot a spell at Harry, he quickly dodged it

"Ella stop" Harry commanded and his scar glowed a bit and Ella faltered

Tom pointed a wand at her "Get him!"

Ella aimed her wand at herself "incarcerous"

"Ella" Harry said worried as she fell to the ground

"Get the diary Harry, now" Ella commanded as her eyes switched between green and purple

Harry nodded and seized the diary again, with the basilisk fang he plunged it straight into the heart of the book.

There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then—

He had gone. Harry's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.

Shaking all over, Harry pulled himself up. His head was spinning as though he'd just traveled miles by Floo powder. Slowly, he gathered together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's mouth.

Ella slowly stood up and stood besides her brother. He looked at her "you alright?"

"yeah, it was just a binding spell Snape taught me" Ella nodded

Then came a faint moan from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring. As Harry hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood soaked robes, then to the diary in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.

"Harry—oh, Harry—I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy—it was me, Harry—but I—I s-swear I d-didn't mean to—R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over—and—how did you kill that—that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary—"

"It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here—"

"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and—w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"

Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry urged Ginny forward; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. Harry heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss.

"I never wanna go back in there" Ella mumbled as she went ahead of Harry

After a few minutes' progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Harry's ears.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!"

He heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall.

"Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How—what—where did that bird come from?" Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny.

"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself.

Harry took Ella's hand and helped her through.

"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand.

"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever.

"But—"

"Later," Harry said shortly. He didn't think it was a good idea to tell Ron yet who'd been opening the Chamber, not in front of Ginny, anyway. "Where's Lockhart?"

"Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."

Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself.

"His memory's gone," said Ron. "The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."

Lockhart peered good naturedly up at them all.

"Hello," he said. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry.

Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe.

"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to Ron.

Ron shook his head, but Fawkes the phoenix had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him, his beady eyes bright in the dark. He was waving his long golden tail feathers. Harry looked uncertainly at him.

"He looks like he wants you to grab hold..." said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there—"

"Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart—"

"He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart.

"You hold Ginny's other hand, Ella-"

"No" She said "I got it"

Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and took hold of Fawkes's strangely hot tail feathers.

An extraordinary lightness seemed to spread through his whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, they were flying upward through the pipe. Harry could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!"

The chill air was whipping through Harry's hair, and before he'd stopped enjoying the ride, it was over—all four of them were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat

Myrtle goggled at them.

"You're alive," she said blankly to Harry.

"There's no need to sound so disappointed," he said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses.

"Oh, well... I'd just been thinking... if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver.

"I would have rather stayed down there then have heard that" Ella said as the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place.

"Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!"

But tears were still flooding silently down Ginny's face.

"Where now?" said Ron, with an anxious look at Ginny. Harry pointed.

Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. They strode after him, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office.

Harry knocked and Ella pushed the door open.


	15. Chapter 15

For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ella, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's case) blood. Then there was a scream.

"Ginny!"

It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.

Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest. Surprisingly sitting in one of the chairs was Draco Malfoy.

Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder, just as Harry found himself and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasleys tight embrace. "You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly.

Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the rubyencrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary.

Then he started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how they had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom ...

"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "so you found out where the entrance was - breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add - but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"

So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary - or Ella.

Ginny was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic. Riddle's diary didn't work anymore ... How could they prove it had been he who'd made her do it all?

Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.

"What interests me most," said Dumbledore gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania."

Relief - warm, sweeping, glorious relief - swept over Harry.

"W- what's that?" said Mr. Weasley in a stunned voice. "YouKnow-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not ... Ginny hasn't been ... has she?"

"It was this diary," said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen . . . ."

Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.

"Brilliant," he said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen."

He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered. "Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school ... traveled far and wide ... sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with - with - him?"

"His d-diary" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year -"

"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything. What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic '

"I d-didn't know," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it -"

"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort."

He strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," he added, twinkling kindly down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice - I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

"So Hermione's okay!" said Ron brightly.

"There has been no lasting harm done" said Dumbledore.

Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken.

All of a sudden Draco stood up, his hair covering his face.

"D-Draco" Ella said worried

"Do you have any idea how worried I was!" Draco shouted

"Draco I'm-"

"Save it!" Draco shouted before storming off

Ella stared at the door before Harry placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

"Right," said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with the Potters and Weasley, shall I?"

"Certainly," said Dumbledore.

She left, and Harry and Ron gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely - surely - they weren't about to be punished?

Dumbledore looked at the two boys "I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules" said Dumbledore.

Ron opened his mouth in horror.

"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling. "You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and - let me see - yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

Ron went as briglitly pink as Lockhart's valentine flowers and closed his mouth again.

"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore added. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

Harry gave a start. He had completely forgotten about Lockhart. He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.

"Professor Dumbledore," Ron said quickly, "there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart -"

"Am I a professor?" said Lockhart in mild surprise. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?"

"He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore.

"Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver mustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"

"Sword?" said Lockhart dimly. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though." He pointed at Harry. "He'll lend you one."

"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron. "Id like a few more words with Harry and Ella ...

Lockhart ambled out. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore as he closed the door.

Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire. "Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry sat, feeling unaccountably nervous.

"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."

He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him.

"And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you two... "

Suddenly, something that was nagging at Harry came tumbling out of his mouth.

"Professor Dumbledore ... Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said..."

"Did he, now?" said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. "And what do you think, Harry?"

"I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry, more loudly than he'd intended. "I mean, I'm - I'm in Gryffindor, I'm . . ."

But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind.

"Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me Id - Id have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while ... because I can speak Parseltongue ...

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry, so can Ella" said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort - who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin - can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you those scars. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure ..."

"Voldemort put a bit of himself in us?" Harry said, thunderstruck.

"It certainly seems so."

"So I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in us, so it put Ella in Slytherin and it -"

"Put you in Gryffindor," said Dumbledore calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue - resourcefulness - determination - a certain disregard for rules," he added, his mustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."

"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin . . . ."

"Exactly" said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned "then Ella wanted to be in Slytherin"

"If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this." Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.

Godric Gryffindor

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply.

For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall's desk and took out a quill and a bottle of ink.

"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban - we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too," he added thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"

Harry got up and took Ella's hand, he crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.

Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.

"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face.

The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoys shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore.

"So!" he said "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."

"Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasleys daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too ... Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."

Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury.

"So - have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"

"We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile.

"Well?"said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?"

"The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."

He held up the small black book with the large hole through the center, watching Mr. Malfoy closely. Harry, however, was watching Dobby.

The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist.

"I see. . . " said Mr. Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore.

"A clever plan," said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if the potters here" -Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look - "and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why - Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will ..."

"Why'd he only give me that look" Harry whispered to Ella and she shrugged

Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike.

"And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then ... The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and - killing Muggle-borns ... Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. "Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise ...

Mr. Malfoy forced himself to speak. "Very fortunate," he said stiffly.

And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head.

And Harry suddenly understood. He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twisting his ears in punishment.

"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked.

Lucius Malfoy rounded on him. "How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said.

"Because you gave it to her," said Harry. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"

He saw Mr. Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench.

"Prove it," he hissed.

"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. Onthe other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you..."

Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand.

Instead, he turned to his house-elf "We're going, Dobby!"

He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor. Ella let go of Harry's hand and grabbed the diary, she ran out after Lucius.

Ella ran down the dark corridor. She caught up with them at the top of the stairs.

"Mr. Malfoy," she gasped, skidding to a halt

"Yes Ella" Mr. Malfoy said

"I think you should give this to Dobby" Ella said handing him the diary with a t-shirt on top of it

He gave her a questioning look, Ella smiled "please Mr. Malfoy, for me"

Lucius handed the diary to Dobby "hold it"

"Master has given a shirt," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."

"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy.

"Got a shirt," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master gave it, and Dobby - Dobby is free. "

"Goodbye Ella" he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.

"Ella Potter freed Dobby!" said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Ella moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb-like eyes.

"Least I could do, Dobby," said Ella smiling

The elf's ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile.

Dobby threw his arms around Ella's middle and hugged her "Farewell, Ella Potter!"

And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared.

Ella arrived at the feast, everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration was going to last all night.

Hermione ran toward Harry and Ron screaming "You solved it! You solved it!" Justin hurried over from the Hufflepuff table to wring. his hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting Harry.

Hagrid turned up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle. Harry and Ron won four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, Professor McGonagall stood up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat ("Oh, no!" said Hermione).

Dumbledore announced that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.

"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He was starting to grow on me."

Ella felt arms wrap around her waist and a head rest on her shoulder. She smiled and rubbed the top of his head.

"I'm sorry"

"I know Draco" Ella said

Draco sat next to her and held her hand "I was just so worried, you could've gotten hurt"

Ella remembered what happened to her in the chamber but decided not to tell him right now "I'm alright Draco, I'm stronger then I look"

"Really, you're so much of an idiot i thought you would've tripped and hurt yourself" Draco teased

"Ok ok" Ella said messing up his hair

"No not the hair" Draco laughed

Ella laughed and hugged her best friend. The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences - Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor.

Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky unless he was with Ella. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays.

They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it. Meanwhile Ella was in a compartment with Draco.

"So what are you doing over the summer?" Ella asked

"I'm not sure, visit my best friend maybe" Draco said and Ella smiled "by the way Ella why are you riding the train, why didn't you go with Snape?"

"I asked father to pick me up at King's Cross Station. I wanted to spend more time with you" Ella said sadly

"Ella what's wrong" Draco asked worried after seeing her sad expression

"Draco something did happen in the chamber, I'm not going to Hogwarts next year. My father wanted me to take a year off." Ella explained and Draco immediately hugged her

"I'll miss you" Draco admited

"We have all summer, it's only one school year. I'll be back for more fun" Ella smiled


	16. Chapter 16

It was the middle of the summer, Draco hasn't gotten one letter from Ella, he hasn't even seen her. Draco was in his room, he just laid on his bed with his eyes closed. He has just yelled at his parents, he was so fed up with everything, he missed his best friend.

Their was a knock at his door "Draco" his mother called

"Go away" Draco said angrily, turning on his side to face the wall

He heard her footsteps going down the stairs, he sighed and closed his eyes again. All of a sudden the door was kicked open with a bang.

"Draco get your lazy ass up!"

Draco turned around to see Ella

"Ella" Draco said quickly standing up "Great Merlin you broke my door!"

Ella grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down to her height "you lazy ass when someone tells you to get up then move your ass"

"ok ok, down girl" Draco said before Ella released him

"Ok your forgiven" Ella smiled

"...you broke my door" Draco said staring at it

"Then get your lazy butt up next time dummy" Ella said as she sat on his bed "tv, on"

Draco sighed and grabbed the tv remove. He plopped onto his bed next to Ella and turned on the tv. He looked at her, she has the same stupid grin on her face. He pinched her cheeks and pulled them in annoyance.

"Get that stupid look off your face" Draco said before releasing

Ella pouted and rubbed her cheeks, she stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed. He shook his head at her and patted her head.

"So what made you finally come visit?" Draco questioned

"My dad decided to come see your parents and let me come" Ella replied hanging upside-down from his bed

Draco did the same, they looked at each other and laughed. They always had a good time together.

"School will be boring without you" Draco said

"Of course it will" Ella said "by the way my dad found out I have the same birthday as Harry, we're actually the same age, but he was born a couple hours before me, so I'm still the younger one. Dumbledore gave him my birth certificate."

"So he just guessed your age when he got you" Draco laughed

"basically" Ella shrugged

Their was a knock on the door and Snape walked in, he raised his eyebrow at them seeing them hanging upside down. Ella laughed.

"Let's go" Snape said turning around and walking out the door

Ella flipped off the bed, Draco doing the same, while he landed on his feet she landed on her butt.

"Clutz" Draco said holding his hand out to her, she took it and he pulled her up on her feet

"Bye drakie" Ella said heading out the door

Weeks passed and it was Harry and Ella's birthday. Snape took Ella to the Malfoy manor for her birthday. She spent the day with Draco, Draco showed off on his new broom, he told her that he was going to try out for quidditch this year. Ella had lots of fun for her birthday before it was time to leave Draco took Ella out back.

Draco took a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her with a small blush on his face "happy birthday"

Ella opened it to see a beautiful silver locket

"It's beautiful Draco thank you" Ella said as she hugged him

"Open it" Draco said

Ella opened the locket to see a piture of her and Draco in it.

"It's the picture my mum took of us after my sword competition from our winter break" Draco said

Draco took the locket and put it on her. Ella hugged her best friend again.

"Now when I'm at school you can look at that, I know you'll miss me" Draco said smugly "Don't stare at it too much"

"oh of course your greatness" Ella said with a bow "but you're just too irresistible to not stare at"

Draco and her then laughed. This was a great birthday.


	17. Important AN

I keep forgetting to update on here, so this book is actually on my Wattpad account and their is a lot more chapters. I encourage everyone to go look for my AriaLord account on Wattpad if they want to continue reading this book and many others. I will not be updating on Fanfiction anymore. Wattpad is a website and app on your computer or phone to read a whole ton of books. I hope you all can support me on there.


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